AABB Professional Engagement Program (PEP)

Page Content

Learn more about AABB PEP volunteer opportunities!

AABB Committees Have Openings for 2019-2020

Committees are vital to the success of AABB. The association's committees and volunteers help ensure the information and knowledge it shares with the membership, public and media are timely and accurate.

Members who are interested in serving on a committee during the 2019-2020 association year may apply by completing the
Committee Volunteer Form by Jan. 31. AABB will keep the information on file for three years. AABB also recommends that those interested in serving on a committee
contact the current chair of the committee to introduce themselves, confirm there is a vacancy and describe their expertise.

Additionally, all AABB committees seek qualified junior committee members to fill standing positions. To be eligible, applicants must be a current AABB early-career member or an individual member with fewer than two years of membership who has not yet served on an AABB committee, task force or working group. AABB encourages interested members to complete the Committee Volunteer Form, selecting “Junior Committee Member” in the contact information. The application deadline is Jan. 31.

Mentoring Programs for Young Professionals

Looking for a fun way to get involved in AABB? AABB’s PEP Team has a Mentoring Program. This six month informal program matches experienced professionals with those who are new to the transfusion medicine, patient blood management and cellular therapies fields. Expand your professional network, exchange information and ideas while building lasting friendships. Please complete and return the
application to
PEP@aabb.org.

AABB HUB Fosters Active Discussions; Add Your Voice

Hot discussions on transfusion medicine, patient blood management and cellular therapies have started to appear on the
AABB HUB, the association’s new online forum for AABB members. AABB encourages members to subscribe to their group(s) of choice and join in the conversation. Subscribing enables members to respond to or start a thread directly from their email inbox. Begin networking and sharing ideas with colleagues around the world.

Social Media Collaboration

If you cannot imagine a world without social media, this opportunity is for you. AABB is seeking AABB members with deep interest and expertise in social media to help the association offer insightful content and resources via its social media platforms. Contact us for the chance to collaborate with AABB!

Join the AABB Board, Committees and Sections

Participate in an AABB Committee or Subsection to learn about the exciting fields of transfusion medicine, patient blood management and cellular Therapies. Make an impact in the blood banking and transfusion fields while networking with fellow professionals.

Enroll in a Committee

Our committee volunteers help ensure that the information and knowledge that we share with the membership, public and media is timely and accurate. If you are interested in serving on one of our committees, please complete the
Committee Volunteer Form.

Enroll in a Section

Transfusion Medicine SectionRepresent the interests of Individual Members of the AABB who are concerned with Patient Blood Management and administrative, quality/regulatory, medical, scientific and technical aspects of transfusion medicine.

Cellular Therapies SectionAssist in providing guidance to the association and its membership on critical issues relating to cellular therapies, including umbilical cord blood, regenerative medicine and somatic cells.

Leadership - Run for Office

Consider this your invitation to help set the course of the association. Contact the chair of the AABB Nominating Committee and express your interest in being nominated. View information on
how to submit your name to be considered for a Board position, or how to run as a petition candidate for the Board.

AABB Junior Committee Member

Are you an AABB Early Professional member or an individual member with less than two years of membership with looking to become more involved in the association? We are now taking applications for the 2018-2019 association year! The AABB Junior Committee Member is a standing position on all committees and is a wonderful opportunity to:

gain experience while working within AABB committees.

contribute to important committee deliverables as identified by the AABB Board of Directors.

network and learn from fellow AABB committee members.

learn how the association develops policy and positions.

learn more about the operations of AABB as well.

Eligibility Requirements:

Must be a current AABB Early Professional member, or individual member with less than two years of membership, and

Have not yet served on an AABB committee, task force or working group.

AABB Accreditation Assessor Program

Interested in becoming an AABB Assessor?

The AABB Accreditation Program promotes the highest standard of care for patients and donors in all aspects of transfusion medicine and cellular therapies. It is the intent of the program that accreditation be recognized at both a national and international level. This is accomplished by the administration of the Assessor Program.

The AABB assessors are a vital part of the AABB Accreditation Program. AABB Assessors are highly skilled healthcare professionals from accredited organizations. They bring their invaluable experience, knowledge and insight to AABB facilities worldwide.

The AABB Accreditation Assessor Program provides volunteer professional training in auditing techniques, quality program and operations, and the competitive, legal and ethical issues associated with assessments. With this training assessors are able to evaluate a facility’s Quality and Operational systems to determine whether the service they provide is appropriate and in control. The program provides both the assessors and the facility educational exposure to new ideas with regard to quality systems.

The AABB Accreditation Assessor Program has been granted accreditation by the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua)

We are no longer accepting applications for the AABB Assessor Program for 2018.

National Blood Foundation (NBF)

Established in 1983, the National Blood Foundation (NBF) is a program of AABB that serves the fields of transfusion medicine and cellular therapies through grant making, educational offerings and industry leadership engagement and recognition. In order to carry out our mission of fueling innovation in transfusion medicine and cellular therapies for the benefit of patients and donors, NBF raises money from AABB members, both institutional and individual, corporations, foundations, and others. As AABB’s foundation, NBF is authorized to use the AABB’s 501(c)(3) status.

For over thirty years our early-career grant program has funded more than 200 investigators – many are now subject matter experts and leaders in their fields. Initiated in 2015, the Strategic Research and Education Grants Program supports initiatives that reinforce AABB’s mission and projects are identified by the AABB Board of Directors. Initial grants generated professional education resources in cellular therapies and supported research and data collection activities within donor hemovigilance and patient blood management.

NBF Board and Committee Nominations

The NBF is governed by a Board of Trustees and works in conjunction with the NBF Research and Education Trust Board of Trustees to carry out the NBF mission. Under Board guidance, the NBF Strategic Programming Committee (SPC) annually develops NBF’s strategic program offerings and industry opportunities. The NBF can use your leadership in any one of these capacities. Please read the
role descriptions and complete the
nomination form to be considered for a board or committee position.

NBF Event Volunteers

In addition to our grant programs, the NBF supports transfusion medicine and cellular therapies by hosting various educational meetings and special events throughout the year. These events are possible due to terrific on-site volunteer support. We are always looking for volunteers and can use your help! All volunteers will receive information and any necessary minimal training. Please consider volunteering some time at one of NBF’s special events. It is a great way to meet colleagues and support AABB.

To become involved in NBF’s special events and be added to our volunteer list, please complete this
volunteer form and email it to
nbf@aabb.org.

PEP Rising Star/Shining Star Awards Program

The AABB Professional Engagement Program (PEP) is excited to announce the new recipients of Rising Star/Shining Star Awards! These bimonthly awards recognize two members of the association who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to PEP’s various volunteer opportunities. Below are the two recipients:

PEP Shining Star Awardee: Claudia S. Cohn, MD, PhD

“Participating in the AABB PEP Program has been a great experience. I have gotten to know members across the organization and have learned so much from all of them. I value the friendships and professional relationships that have developed. I encourage everyone to take part.”

PEP Rising Star Awardee: Avital Mendelsohn, PhD

“AABB provided me with a unique opportunity to share my research with the transfusion medicine community. I was able to meet and network with prominent researchers and clinicians in transfusion medicine and learn about exciting new advances in the field. Additionally, I received valuable feedback on my research, which has since helped me to design important follow-up studies.”

If you would like information about this initiative or the various volunteer opportunities that PEP has to offer, please contact
PEP@aabb.org.

Volunteer Spotlight and Member Highlights

Volunteer Spotlight and Member Highlights

Exciting news! AABB’s Professional Engagement Program will be showcasing all of the great work our members do for AABB and the world at large.

Our PEP
Volunteer Spotlight will consist of a short Q&A with one of our members published each month in AABB News. Our members play an integral role here at AABB and we want to share their accomplishments.

Member Highlights can be any volunteer accomplishment directly involved with AABB and will change as new highlights are added. These highlights may range from publications, committee work, webinars and everything in between!

We are currently soliciting names of individuals to showcase for the coming year in either our Volunteer Spotlight or a Member Highlight capacities. If you or a fellow AABB member are interested, please email us at
PEP@aabb.org.

Professional Engagement Program Volunteer Spotlight on
Theresa Nester, MD

What volunteer activities are you currently active or have participated in within AABB?

What motivates you to volunteer?

I enjoy networking with other members of the transfusion medicine community, and seeing the breadth of practice that can occur to provide transfusion services to patients. Volunteering with an organization such as AABB can allow for process improvements that have a more far-reaching impact compared to volunteering for a local effort. Being part of a national committee can also help towards academic promotion (moving from assistant to associate to full professor).

How has your volunteer work impacted your professional work?

I have met many talented transfusion medicine professionals and been able to work with them at a closer level than might have been possible without volunteering to be on a committee. My knowledge base always improves with the discussions that can occur within a committee or a working group. I have had more opportunity to present at both the AABB annual meeting and the CAP annual meeting as an outcome of the volunteer work.

What have you learned from volunteering with AABB? And what advice would you give to someone interested in volunteering?

I have learned more about how AABB itself operates. I have also learned about the many awards available to AABB members, from the Tibor Greenwalt award to the more personal awards granted to 2 hardworking SBB students every year at the annual meeting during the TMSCC luncheon. I highly recommend volunteering. There are networking and learning benefits, and it helps to keep the sponsoring organization strong. One of the main aims of an organization such as AABB is to represent its members well, and volunteering can contribute to this.